It's the Choices We Make
by RidetheRain
Summary: After he dies, Albus has a choice to make.


"It is our choices that show who we truly are. And you, Albus, have made a great many choices."

The late headmaster looked up into the green-tinged whiteness and squinted his eyes. There was a blurry shape leaning over him as he lay prone.

"I am afraid that I am a little dizzy at the moment. Can you spare some time for me to orient myself?" Albus asked as he struggled to right himself. He looked around and noticed that he was no longer at Hogwarts and the green was fading to a brilliant white. It appeared to be a train station.

"You are inbetween, my friend, there is no orienting yourself here." The voice chuckled as if there was a joke in his words. Albus chuckled along with the voice. Always be polite and laugh at your host's jokes. Especially when that host is a mysterious voice that sounds very slightly familiar.

Albus slowly turned to direction the voice and noticed that the blurry shape was less blurry and more man-like. Nicholas Flamel-like if he wasn't mistaken.

"Nicholas, it has been quite some time." Laughter boomed from Nicholas and Albus couldn't help but smile along with. His mentor had not aged since the last time they had met four years prior.

Nicholas bent and pulled the old wizard to his feet and lead him to a bench nearby.

"It has been more time than you can imagine young Albus. And you have made many choices since then. You may not like the results." His serious tone worried Albus. "What were you thinking with that awful woman teaching? And that poor man a prisoner twice over… mistakes should not be remade Albus. Was that not our first lesson?"

Albus sighed heavily. He did indeed remember his first lesson with the alchemist. The thought brought an old embarrassment to his mind and he carefully shrugged off the red tinge from his face. He was young and stupid and in a hurry. Alchemy was much like muggle science. It required experiment after experiment, tweaking one variable at a time slowly and methodically. If one experiment failed then it informed the next. Ignoring a failure destroyed the integrity of all your work - past and present.

It was a long lesson. Nicholas allowed the mistake and let Albus work for weeks on experiments that turned out to be worthless. He had almost left the apprenticeship before it really began. And now Nicholas is once again pointing out the same mistake.

"I remember Master Flamel." Albus slipped into his apprentice role - sensing that the old Master had more to teach. "I should have learned from the first that Sirius Black escapes prisons. Holding him was foolish. I have no excuse."

"Good. Do not make the same error again. You have another choice before you. You see the metaphor, no?"

Albus looked around the train station and noticed that there were several tracks. Three were closed to him. One gave him an uncomfortable feeling. The last two shone like fresh snow. "I'm to choose a train then. How curious. Some are closed. I suppose not all paths can be open at once." His mind raced as he tried to figure out the puzzle.

"I suppose one is life. That path is closed to me forever… And another may be some type of higher plane for the pure. You are right that my choices will exclude me from that path." Albus eyed Nicholas for confirmation of his analysis, but as always the features were inscrutable. "I imagine that one of these leads back to Hogwarts. I could join the specters that haunt the castle for eternity" He gestured to the train that gave him the uncomfortable feeling as he spoke of the ghosts. That was not the path for him. "I must admit, that I was expecting only one option beyond that. And it appears to be two."

At that, Nicholas smiled and stood. Albus leaned into this seat and watched his old master assume his old habit of pacing while lecturing. 'Good for the heart' Nicholas used to say.

"You are correct that some paths are closed to you. But they may reopen one day. This is not your last choice Albus. Surely you don't think death is that final? There are many choices and many paths still ahead of you. Do not dismiss what options exist. You may be here again." Nicholas paused to let the lesson sink in. "Even ghosts are not doomed to walk the Earth forever Albus."

"Your paths are two sides of the same coin. You can pass to life or to death. If you pass to death, you will meet those who have also chosen death. It is a mystery what lays beyond death's door. Or you can choose life. Ride back into the world and become new. Did you create a world that would welcome a young boy with your talents again?"

Nicholas began to walk away. "Choose Albus, it is a life or death question." He disappeared into the distance with his echoing laughter.

Albus stood and waited. He needed time to make his choice. Perhaps he should simply wait until one train became brighter than the other. It was death after all, what could he be late for?

As he paced the length of the platform he mused about the possibilities of reincarnation. Perhaps he could prevent more evil in the world.

Another lap of the platform. Perhaps it was time to let others lead the fight against darkness.

Another lap. Perhaps it didn't matter either way.

The laps stretched on until Albus couldn't remember how many times he changed his mind. Until he began to wonder if he would ever grow tired. Until he began to wonder if this choice was a punishment of sorts.

Then he saw a small bundle of dirty rags with a horrible baby beneath the bench Nicholas had sat him on. A dark figure of a teenaged boy began to walk in from the distance.

Albus made his decision on the spot. He would finish his life. Then he could choose freely.

"Hello, Harry"


End file.
